Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Library archivist uses her skills to advance truth and reconciliation

By Pamela Smyth. This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

When Danielle Robichaud heard about the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, she got on Wikipedia. It was not for the reason you might think. 

Robichaud, a digital archivist in Special Collections & Archives at University of Waterloo Library, edits Wikipedia pages in her spare time. She focuses on the free online encyclopedia because of its popularity and widespread use. 

“When something horrific like this occurs, one of my first thoughts is often to consult the page to make sure there is meaningful and accurate information there for people to take in,” she said in an interview on the University’s Beyond the Bulletin podcast. “I was happy to note that there was a page for the school already in existence, but unfortunately, it was rather brief.”

She immediately tapped into her skills, digging for historical information and news articles about the school, and any mentions of it in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.  

“I’ve done a lot of learning and listening to Indigenous peoples, thinkers and writers. A few years ago, I took a class at Renison University College about reconciliation and implications for settler Canadians,” Robichaud said. “The instructor, Kelly Laurila, in addition to being an incredible person, did a really amazing job of imparting the fact that educating ourselves as settler Canadians is only one part of the process. The work really comes with translating what you learned into action. For me, that looks like editing Wikipedia.”  

Since the unmarked graves were found in Kamloops, there have been more tragic discoveries at other school locations. Robichaud says many Wikipedia editors have become involved as more remains are found, so she is working on pages for smaller schools that have not had much coverage yet. 

A few years ago, Robichaud contributed to revisions to the Wikipedia page for the Canadian Indian residential school system. She worked on it for more than a year, moving it through the review process so it could appear on the Wikipedia main page. In 2018, she received the Archives Association of Ontario’s  James J. Talman Award, largely for her work increasing Indigenous representation on Wikipedia. 

Robichaud also builds Wikipedia pages about accomplished Indigenous Canadians. She learned that celebrating their achievements is important for reconciliation. So far, she has created pages for Wanda Nanibush, curator of Indigenous art at the Art Gallery of Ontario, filmmaker Marjorie Beaucage and Lori Campbell, educator and former director of the Indigenous Student Centre at Waterloo. 

“It’s important to acknowledge that a lot of the work I do stems directly from decades of work that Indigenous thinkers and writers have done before me,” Robichaud said. “I hope that finding ways to put what I’ve learned into action can inspire and encourage other people to think about the skills they already have and how they can be put into action in meaningful ways.” 

Danielle Robichaud, a digital archivist at University of Waterloo Library, uses her professional skills to support truth and reconciliation. Listen to her interview in episode 94 of the Beyond the Bulletin podcast to learn more.

Joy Hutchinson receives 2021 Vanier Scholarship

This article was originally published on the Faculty of Health website.

Joy Hutchinson, a Public Health and Health Systems doctoral student, has been awarded a prestigious 2021 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. The award is designed to strengthen Canada's ability to attract and retain world-class doctoral students and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning. Vanier scholars demonstrate a high standard of academic excellence, research potential and leadership. 

“I am honoured to have been selected as a recipient of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship," Hutchinson said. "I hope to contribute meaningfully throughout my career to the public health and nutrition research communities.” 

Hutchinson’s doctoral research, "Advancing novel methods for characterizing dietary patterns and their relationships with markers of inequity in Canada,” will lead to a greater understanding of the relationship between dietary patterns and markers of inequity and, ultimately, inform policy with data-backed research that can improve the lives of Canadians. 

Her approach to looking at enormous datasets has the potential to identify relationships that traditional methods of data analysis may not uncover. It will use machine learning, or more specifically, deep learning, where artificial networks have the ability to learn from vast amounts of data.

Growing up, Hutchinson discovered cooking as a form of stress relief. As she grew older, her interest in food evolved into a fascination with nutrition and set her on an educational course to becoming a registered dietitian. Currently, is an executive member of the Dietitians of Canada Toronto Networking Committee, planning events for dietitians to meet, learn from each other and discuss relevant topics.  

Supporting young people has given Hutchinson mentorship opportunities that she has found particularly meaningful. Over the past year, she helped undergraduate students, offering guidance and encouragement as they worked at continuing their studies and research projects while also facing the many challenges presented by the pandemic.  

Hutchinson has also devoted some of her personal time volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters in Toronto. As part of the Go Girls! program, she helped girls aged 12-14 build a positive self-image by focusing on physical activity, balanced eating and self-esteem.

As a Vanier Scholar, Hutchinson will receive $50,000 per year for three years during her doctoral studies.

Remembering Sue Gooding

Sue Gooding, a long-serving staff member in the Faculty of Engineering, passed away on July 24.

"Sue served our University and Faculty with unmatched dedication for an incredible 44 years," wrote Dean of Engineering Mary Wells in a tribute on the Faculty of Engineering website. "Joining the University of Waterloo in May 1977, Sue started her career as a parking attendant and used her commitment, intellect and dedication to work her way up to become an invaluable member of the Faculty of Engineering’s administrative team. Sue was a tireless and devoted employee and was usually the first in the office in the morning and the last to leave in the evening. It was not unusual to find her working in her office at 10 pm on weekdays; she was also frequently present on weekends."

As the Faculty of Engineering’s space expansion program started, Gooding took on the role of Operations Manager in 2005 and was then promoted to be the Manager, Facilities and Space in 2011. In these roles, she worked closely with Engineering Consultant Ron Venter, the University’s physical plant, the Engineering Departments and the Architects to oversee the design and building of Engineering's newest buildings (Engineering 5, 6 and 7) as well as the renovations of older buildings and new research spaces.

With blueprints and floor plans filling her office in CPH, she worked tirelessly to make sure all department requests were fulfilled, and every last-minute change was made.  She was also responsible for coordinating often complicated department moves into the new buildings and other engineering spaces.

The result today is a set of new buildings that are the envy of the rest of the University and of other Engineering Faculties in the country.

"A kind and generous person, Sue was a passionate supporter of engineering students and went above and beyond to ensure they had the equipment and space they needed to succeed," Wells writes. "An example of this was in 2005 when Sue had her head shaved by EngSoc members in the CPH foyer to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of two engineering students who had died from cancer. In her personal life, she was also a passionate volunteer and gave willingly and generously of both her time and many talents to all of those around her."

"The Faculty’s thoughts and support are with Sue’s husband, Mike her two daughters (Mallory and Courtney) and her family. Sue’s funeral will take place in the funeral home chapel at Henry Walser on Sunday, August 1^stand visitation with her family will be held on Saturday, July 31 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Visit www.henrywalser.com for Susan's memorial."

University flags will be lowered to half-mast on the day of Gooding's funeral to honour her.

Read the full tribute on the Faculty of Engineering news site.

CORE contact lens study seeks participants and other notes

The Centre for Ocular Research and Education (CORE) is currently recruiting soft contact lens wearers to participate in an exciting new daily disposable contact lens research study here at the University of Waterloo. The study will be conducted over two weeks, with three in-clinic visits. Participants should be willing to wear the study contact lenses for at least 12 hours per day, 5 days per week. You will receive $20 per hour for attending study visits (4.5 hours total) and for completing the at-home tasks, for a total of $110 upon completion of the study. All study materials will be provided. For more information visit www.corestudies.ca/basset.

All studies conducted at CORE have been reviewed and received ethics clearance through a University of Waterloo Research Ethics Committee. To be the first to know about new CORE studies make a participant profile on the CORE pre-screening website.

UW BASE is hosting a virtual networking event called A.C.E w/BASE.(Advance.Connect.Empower) on Saturday, July 31. "Our goal is to provide Black students with the opportunity to connect with industry professionals and gain knowledge, insights, and connections that will help to advance their futures," says a note from the event organizers. "Students can register through the link in our bio and get a free ticket."